Jubilee Bracelet
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Fusion Beads 30 Day Challenge
Morning everyone,
I just wanted to send you all over to FB…first find Vine Street Jewelry and be sure to “like” it to see what I am up to. Then run over to Fusionbeads.com on FB and see the neat entries for the 30 Day Challenge. I have been trying to post daily and the challenge has been inspiring and fun. I also added some of my events to the calendar page. Thanks everyone who has been ordering lately and keeping me busy.
Here is a fun piece that I am working on. 80 years old…I will post more when it is finished.
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Color Schemes
One of my favorite comments to hear is “Your necklaces have such different colors, how do you decide what colors go together?” Color is one of those very important design elements. I have started many a necklace and when I get finished with it, I am just not very happy. The design is great but the colors are a bit off. Unfortunately that means that I have to take it apart and rethink it. Color is one of my first critiques. If I really like the design, I may try it in another color, instead of pinks maybe I try blues. Sometimes I just change one of the shades. It helps to just throw out some beads on my board and start changing out one of two of the shades. Sometimes I get a little whacky and throw in a color that wouldn’t normally work. Often I am surprised at the outcome.
I have several other sources for inspiration, I keep up the color trends. It makes sense to make jewelry that can coordinate with the season’s clothes. This season our colors are: fanciful bellflower, sodalite blue, margarita, cockatoo, driftwood, starfish and sweet lilac. They always come up with the craziest names. For those you you new to colors, there is some good news. Our fashion colors do not vary much from year to year. They just tweek them a little.
Since I make a lot of vintage pieces, I like to use some of the same color schemes. I can go to www.colorhunter.com for some examples of vintage coloring schemes. I also look at vintage posters for color schemes.
Don’t forget that you can also use photographs for inspiration. Nature photos are especially good for this. Nature has some amazing color schemes, some of which I would never put together in a necklace. However, sometimes nature provides the best color schemes.
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Vintage Barrettes
In my quest for finding vintage pieces for my jewelry, I often find bits and pieces that are too small for necklaces but would be great for barrettes or feather couture clips. Small earring bits, broken necklaces, or other bits gleaming like treasure. These little gems are usually found in boxes on the floor in little baggies often marked “as is”.
Minty Cute!
These little vintage pieces are then matched with vintage fabrics all rolled up into a little barrette ready to add some vintage flair to your hair.
Vintage Cuteness!
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Weddings and Brooches
White Button Bouquet
Red and White Bouquets
Searching for brooches is not an easy task, but finding the right combination is SO exciting. Price and style play a large part in how a bouquet will turn out. I can’t tell you how many times that I have fell in love with a brooch and then was heartbroken when I saw the price. Some vintage brooches are WELL worth the price that is put on them. But frankly, the antiques market is saturated with brooches and I wish that the prices would go down so that I could afford more quality pieces in my designs. On one hand I want to give brides the best, most beautiful designs but I also want to have a reasonable cost for them. Buying the brooches is only one part of the process, there is still the cleaning and assembling of the piece. Many days are spent in designing the concept and arrangement of the bouquet. Buying a brooch bouquet is not a last minute decision but it is a decision that lasts forever.
Red Rose Button Bouquet
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Feathers, Feathers, and More Feathers
Beaded Hairband
Feathers are everywhere! Girls are wearing the extensions in their hair, on their belts, purses, scarves, and sometimes on their hats. Some of the styles trend towards Native American, while others look very 1920′s. Just so you know, they aren’t going away anytime soon. In Dallas, Boston and Los Angeles they are hot. So hang on Midwest, we have a LONG way to go. I find feathers a fun way to add color and “oomph” to simple clothes. Feathers look great with jeans and corduroys, and if you happen to add a little jewelry to the mix, then you are ready for anything. These are a few of my favorite designs.
Peacock Hairband
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Vintage French Necklace
French Necklace components
I like to buy vintage necklaces and brooches without rhyme or reason. If I like the piece then I buy it for future use. As I was flipping through some design books I found a perfect match for this gold floral cameo. It was a perfect fit for this Vintage French Necklace. This piece was constructed with a silk cord, czech gold tone beads, pearls, lace and of course a filigree cameo.
Finished Vintage French necklace
The Cameo version
